The main opposition New Democratic Party in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) said Sunday that it, too, “takes great pride” in the country’s election to the United Nations Security Council.
The party’s statement spoke to its expectation of the next general election in SVG, expected to take place by December 2020, ahead of the March 2021 constitutional deadline.
“The NDP is ready to continue to take up SVG’s Security Council seat when the people of our country give us the mandate to form government,” the party said.
On Friday, SVG was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations’ highest decision-making body.
SVG will take up its seat on January 1, 2020.
With the election, SVG became the smallest country, by land mass and population, to ever sit on the Security Council.
The NDP said it believes that a seat on the UN Security Council “will raise the profile of SVG internationally and can bring valuable experience and opportunities to our country”.
“We expect that SVG will use this high-profile international position to demonstrate our longstanding belief in the principles of democracy, protection of human rights, collective security and the peaceful resolution of disputes and, to promote matters that affect us directly such as the destructive effects of climate change,” the party further stated.
“SVG must also capitalise on its higher visibility to promote, wherever possible, our economic interests such as the marketing of tourism and enhancing international economic ties.”
Among other things, the Security Council is concerned with promoting and ensuring international peace and security.
The council is comprised of five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members, which serve two-year terms.
The non-permanent seats on the Security Council are distributed on a regional basis, into five blocs.
SVG belongs to the Latin American and Caribbean states group.
“We thank all countries who voted for SVG, especially the Latin American and Caribbean Countries who supported SVG’s candidacy from the regional bloc,” the NDP said.
James H, I’m sure you as an NDP supporter ,are disappointed in this statement from the party you so dearly love…NDP..your such a disappointment and let down. James I will strongly suggest you have a talk with Friday about the poverty in SVG and explain to him that being elected to the UN security council would not in any way, shape or form help us in SVG.
Please educate us the common Vincy people with your quotes and links from your research to back up your claim sir and shed some light on this matter to our party the NDP.
Many thanks
What took the NDP so long to make this comment?
And what are you going to do about the Party members, lead by Luzette “Tsunami” King, who sent a letter to various United Nations and regional bodies begging them to turn down our beloved country’s bid for this Security Council seat?
A mature and disciplined Party would surely excommunicate such destructive people as is done around the world for far less patriotic actions.
” . . . for far less UNpatriotic actions.”?
Oh, mind your . . .
Yet, they did not condemn their known mouthpieces about their actions!
Some will say, why should they? The group has free will. While this is true, many are watching and tallying the actions of the NDP. Personally, I’m keeping score of when and what they choose to issue statements on, condemn, agree with, distance themselves etc etc.
…..and I highly doubt that I’m the only one!
Will life be better for the average Vincentian? This is a provocative question.
Let me make it abundantly clear Mike Weib, I am surely not a card carrying supporter of the NDP and as to talking with Dr Friday, I met that fellow Vincentian just once in my entire life just in passing, and that was most very briefly, some years ago.
That said, be it the NDP, the ruling ULP, the Greens or whom, my profoundest criticism of these events is that such jubilations and euphoria, that is so vigorously being expressed, is thoroughly misplaced and that the actions of our deluded Prime Minister, grossly misguided too in the light of the unassailable fact, that we as a nation, we are exceedingly poor and as such, our elected representatives most salient concerns and entire attention, ought to be entirely engaged in seeing about our own local wellbeing, and not about world security.
What Vincentians truly need above all, are gainful employment, local jobs in order to put food our table, and less taxation that destroys those jobs. A vibrant economy to aid in that process of job creation and good health care. High taxation destroys jobs as the example of Venezuela has shown.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/venezuelas-healthcare-system-continues-deteriorate-190611105538904.html
Therefore Mike Weib, our elected representatives if they are enlightened, would give their entire attention to such, rather than useless grandstanding and seeking so-called prestige by pursuing the goals of other nations. Worst the goals of foreigners who are much better placed to advance their own goals and wellbeing, whatever they may be, even if it was world security issues.
It is the height of utter folly to assume that we, even with the assistance of the other fourteen members of the Security Council, who may or may not be on the Council themselves, from doing what other countries so wish on the world stage.
It is indeed the height of folly to assume that we could ever prevent the Americans, the Saudis, the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, the French, the British, the Italians, the Spaniards, the Germans, the North Koreans, the Iranians or even the Japanese to name but a few nations, from embarking on their own singular adventurism during the next two years.
Therefore Mike Weib, the next time you have a moment, walk through the hovel that is Kingstown, go visit the poorly equipped Milton Cato Hospital or speak to one of our numerous unemployed Vincentian national. Ponder on the number of bureaucratic representatives that we will be sending to the U.N in pursuit of world security and ask yourself if this administration and they, would not have been better employed here at home, engaged in Jobs creation, civic reforms and better outcome in healthcare management.
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/latin-america-investigates/2016/11/el-salvador-assassins-sale-161123123642933.html
Remember that national neglect Mike Weib, will always produce poor outcomes for local inhabitants!